Railway-track switch.



' J. vAsKO;

' RAILWAY TRACK SWITCH. APPLICATION FILED IEB. 6, 1914.

Patented May 5, 1914;

2 SHEETS-SHEET Z.

its operating mechanism is u l 20 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE;

JOHN VASKO, F HUTCHINSON, WEST VIRGINIA.

RAILWAY-TRACK swITcH.

' Specification of Letters Patent.

' Patented May 5, 1914.

Application filed February 6, 1914. Serial No. 816,952.

To all whom it may concern:

.Be it known that I, JOHN VAsKo, a citi zen of the United States, residing at Hutch-- adjacent to and parallel with the track rail .so that'the switch tongues may be thrown out by a person on the 'car.

This idea is especially advantageous when the switch and in connection with coal or other mining, wherein a brake-man controls the movement of each car.

A furthe'robject ofthe invention is to provide a switch of the trailing type, so that a train or' car passing therethrough will not require manual shifting of the switch tongues and'to further position the switch operating lever so thatthe same may be operated independently of the car.

With the above and other objects in View that will appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists of the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter more fully described and then claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings by like characters denoting corresponding parts throughout the several views, in which Figure l is a top plan View of a railway track switch in which the operating lever therefor is arran ed parallel to he track rails. is a top plan view 0 a track switch in which the operating lever is arranged at right angles to the switch. Fig. 3

is a side elevational view of the switch operating mechanism, showing in section the track rails and switch tongues. Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 44 of Fig. 3.

Referring more specifically to the drawings accompanying this application, the reference numeral designates the rail ties of-the usual construction and-mounted on said ties are the rails 11. The track switch comprises the rails 12 having pivoted thereto as at 13, the switch tongues 14. A switch tongue bar 15 suitably-connected to. the switch tongues l t as at 16 so that the switch tongues when operated will move in unison.

As shown in'Fig. 1, the operating lever of handle for the switch tongues 14 is ar ranged parallel to and adjacent a track rail 11 and is supported on the ties 10. The supporting means for the switch opera-ting lever comprises a pair of invertedU-shaped spaced side frames 17 securedby their feet 18 to the ties 10. Extending across the U-shaped frames '17 and secured thereto asat 19 are a pair of bars 20 which contact for a portion of their length and are-separated mid- Way thereof as at 21 to provide an opening-f or passage therethrough. Pivotally mounted 4 in the opening in the bars 20 as at 22 is a lever 23, said lever being bifurcated at'its lower end, and having a pin passing through the lower end thereof constituting a pivot for the link 24. The .pin is provided with an: eyefz25 upon each endthereof for purposes to be hereinafter described. -;-Pivotally-connected tot-he other end of the link 24 as at 26 is 'oneend of-the switch tongue bar 15. The upper endof the lever 23 has pivoted thereto as at 27, an operating handle or lever --28, the lever 28 being positioned between the inverted U sh-aped frames 17 and extending outwardly beyond the same. Stops 29 are carried by the U-shaped frames 17 which limit the movement of the handle 28 in its opposite directions of travel. The handle 28 .has exte'ndingtherethrough at a point'within the frame 17, a pin provided upon each end thereof with an eye 30 and extending between the eyes and and connecting the same are coiled springs 31. These coiledsprings 31 are adapted to hold the operating lever 28 in either of its two extreme positions.

The-particular disposition of the switchoperatiug mechanism shown in Figs. 2- and 3, illustrates the idea of posltioning the, switch-operating leverat rig-htfangles to the rails 11 and in this instanceg' the switch tongues are operated independently. ofthe car. To provlde a support .fhr frames 17, ties 10' of greater length than the re- .1

mainder of the ties are provided, the ties 10 also extending beneath the rails 11 to act as the other support for the said rails.

The link 24 shown in Fig.1 has connected v thereto a second link 32, andpivoted to the other end of the link 32 is oneeiid of a bell crank lever 33p1voted as at 34 to'a h'a p 3% operating mechanism which will permit the extending between the ties 10, while the other end of the bell crank lever 33 is pivotally-connected as at 36 to one end of the switch tongue bar 15.

In the operation of the frame shown in Fig. 1, a person upon a train or car entering the switch, may readily grasp the operating handle 28, which through the medium of the links 24 and 32 and the bell crank lever 33, will shift the switch tongue bar 15 carrying the switch tongues 14 in the direction desired. The form shown in Fig. 2 is operated independently of the car. When the switch is set in either of its extreme positions, that is the switch tongues caused to engage either of the rails, a train or car ma easily trail therethrough due to the flexi ility of the switch tongue to move from its adjacent rail and be returned ther'eto after the car passes through the switch. The springs 31 have a tendency to draw or pull the lower end of the lever 23 toward the operating handle 28 and in doing-so, the switch tongue bar connected thereto by the links, as above described, will also be held in its fixed position.

When the train ,or car is trailing through the switch, the lower end of the lever 23 will be moved to a greater distance from the operatmg handle28 and during such movemerit, the springs 31 will be expanded which will cause the operating handle 28 to more 010mm 01! this patent may be obnefi for positively engage-its adjacent stop 29.

' While I have shown and described-the preferred embodiment of my invention, I do not wish to confine myself thereto as various forms, modifications and arrangements of the parts as shown may be had without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is The combination with a pair of switch tongues, and a connecting bar, of an inverted U-shaped frame, a connection between the sides of said frame consisting of horizontal bars abutting for a portion of their length and offset to space said bars apart, a lever fulcrumed at a point mid-way of its length between the spaced bars, and bifurcated at its lower end, a link connected at one end to the switch bar, a pin connecting the opposite end of said link to the lower end of the lever, and provided at its ends with eyes, an operating handle movable between the frame bars and fulcrumed upon the upper end of said lever, eyes projecting from opposite sides of said handle, coil springs connecting said eyes with the eyes of the connecting pin of said lever, and slots on opposite sides of the vertical center of said frame to limit the movement of said handle.

In testimony whereof I ailix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN VASKO. Witnesses:

ZOE'STURM, JEAN Woonn.

five eenti each, by addreanlng the communicator of Patents. Wmwh'ington, D. G. I 

